Obamacare fallout helps Christie pass Clinton in latest Iowa poll

Republican Gov. Chris Christie has suddenly opened up a lead over potential Democratic nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the latest Iowa polling.

And the most likely reason why is something outside the control of both candidates: Obamacare.

In what might be a preview of the upcoming 2016 Iowa Caucuses, a new Quinnipiac Poll released Tuesday shows voters in the Hawkeye State now favor Christie.

According to the poll, Christie leads Clinton by five percentage points in the state, 45 percent to 40 percent. When Quinnipiac last polled the state in July, Christie and Clinton were neck and neck, with each getting 41 percent of the vote.

Polling institute assistant director Peter Brown says that the shift toward Christie since the summer "reflects a general improvement for Republicans, almost certainly related to the controversy over Obamacare."

Voters agree however that both Christie and Clinton would make for a good president, according to the poll.

And while Christie appears to have gotten a bounce from the faulty rollout of the Affordable Care Act, other candidates have not.

In matchups against other Republican hopefuls such as U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Clinton is the leader across the board, the poll found.